Pricey brass v cheap brass

[GSD102]

I know that you can get more life out of better brass, but does it really count in accuracy from high dollar to low?

[Hawks Feather]

GSD102,

First off, welcome to Fins and Fur.  I hope you enjoy it here.

The real question is what are you planning to shoot and the quality of the firearm that you are using.  If you have a bench gun or tight-necked chamber I would definitely use the better brass.  If you are shooting a groundhog sized target at 100 yards out of a less than perfect chamber, then the cheaper brass will hold the primer, powder, and when you pull the trigger the bullet should leave the barrel and be close enough to hit the hog.  That is the quick answer.

There are differences in brass and the cost is usually reflective of the time involved in making the case.  Some of the better grades of brass have flash holes that have been drilled rather than punched.  This eliminates the flash hole (inside the case) from being partially covered by the punched in brass.  There is a tool for cleaning the inside of the flash hole and you would be amazed at what comes out.  The other thing that, again usually, happens is that the brass is more uniform in wall thickness.  If you have ever turned necks you know much more about this.  A concentricity gauge will also give you a better idea of wall thickness and the variation between different places on the wall.  So, yes, to me there is a difference in brass and the extra that you pay for it is worth it.

You can also do what I would call custom prepping the cheaper brass.  While this will not make it perfect, it will help.  When I am doing this, I start by resizing the brass so that the neck is straight and the outside diameter is uniform.  Next I trim the brass to the length that I want it to be.  Then I expand the neck and turn the necks so that they are "better".  (On a tight nicked rifle you will probably turn some off all around the neck of the case.  While on factory ammo, you will just try to get rid of the "excess" that will probably be there on one side.)  You don't want to take off too much for a factory rifle or you run the risk of having too thin of a neck.  Next I clean the flash hole (inside) with a deburring tool, and finally true the primer pocket.  If you do this you will have time invested (and the money for the supplies) but you should be able to get some decent brass out of it.  If your brass is new you can also start by weighing each piece of brass and sorting it that way.  Brownells and Sinclair International (which just got bought by Brownells) are a couple of great places to find supplies.  Sinclair does have a better of items for benchrest shooters or people that are into precision shooting.

I hope this helps, but if it causes more questions, just let me know adn I will try to confuse you more.   

Jerry

[FinsnFur]

Welcome aboard GSD 

[GSD102]

Thanks Jim, Thanks Jerry.
I'm Shooting a costume Kimber in a 6.5x55 swede m/96. It's a tack driver with the ability to slosh through the woods, So I'm looking for a brass combination for both competition and hunting. I don't want to spend my efforts swapping brass when all I have to do is swap the bullet and powder.

[Hawks Feather]

GSD,

The Kimber would be worth the investment in good brass.  Norma would be my first choice and Lapua would be my second choice for good brass.  I just checked and Sinclair has both in stock.  They cost around $53.00 per 100.  You might be able to find them for a lower price somewhere else, I only checked Sinclair since I know them.  To my knowledge, neither Norma nor Lapua sell seconds, so you should be able to go with the lowest price you can find.

Jerry

[GSD102]

Thanks Jerry,
I went with the Lapua, 6.5 x55 most be hotter than I thought cause even Norma itself was back ordered

[vvarmitr]

Welcome aboard GSD.

One of my mottoes is ya don't make a mistake in buying quality. It's cheaper in the long run.
But who am I to listen to good advise.   I choke when it comes to paying those kinda prices for brass w/ nothing in 'em. 

Now I do prep my brass ... anneal, flash hole deburr, primer pocket uniform.  I do not neck turn.    In loo of that I "shoulder bump" when resizing.

I use mostly Winchester brass except in my 22Varminter & 220Swift which have a fetish for Hornady brass.

I like your choice of caliber & gun.    Hope to be seeing some pix & targets soon.  Now is this your predator rifle?

[GSD102]

It's my all in one. I can load a 88gr. hollow point and pick the heads off rabbits and chipmunks, then load a 160gr core bonded round nose soft point and drop an elk. That's the main reason I'm looking for best brass, is for such a wide range of loads, and since the swede likes it hot(55,000psi-50,000psi) is it's preference I'd better pay attention. My next item will be a scope that's as versatile, that must have a eye piece of a maximum 30mm or my bolt won't swing up all the way,and a rectal of a maximum 42mm or I'll have to raise the scope and my bolt won't swing up all the way. The curse of the custom rifle.